


Before the Breath of Storm

by asterodia



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Don't say I didn't warn you, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, M/M, Middle School, Slow Burn, Time Skips, jercy owns my life deal it, like seriously... the burn will be so slow, my boys will get their happiness eventually i promise, this will hurt but like in the best way
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:54:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24691855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asterodia/pseuds/asterodia
Summary: Jason Grace liked to think he was an ordinary guy-- or, at least, as ordinary as you can be when your dad just so happens to be the founder and CEO of Olympian Broadcasting, one of the biggest television networks in the world.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase/Piper McLean, Calypso/Leo Valdez, Jason Grace/Percy Jackson, Jason Grace/Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Luke Castellan/Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Comments: 20
Kudos: 83





	1. Chapter 1

Jason Grace considered himself to be an ordinary guy. Or at least, as ordinary as you _can_ be when your dad just so happens to be the founder and CEO of Olympian Broadcasting, one of the largest television networks in the world. He tried not to make it a big deal. Sure, his family was worth millions and connected to some of the largest names in Hollywood, but he grew up doing regular kid stuff, too, like debate society, drama club, and baseball. And if he showed up to practice with a bodyguard and a private chauffeur—well, that was no one’s business but his.

“Alright, kiddos. I’ll be in the stands if you need anything. And Leo, don’t forget to put sunscreen on today. I don’t want you to chafe,” Heph said, giving the two boys a wry smile before wandering off towards the bleachers. Mr. Valdez, or Heph as he liked to be called, had been Jason’s bodyguard for as long as he can remember, which meant that him and his son, Leo, were pretty much apart of the family. Leo was his best friend; they did everything together, especially running around and pulling pranks on Leo’s half-sister, Piper. Jason used to have a crush on her, but then she told their entire 6th grade class that he peed in his sleeping bag at summer camp, so he didn’t really like her that much anymore.

“Dude, did you hear about the new kid? Apparently he’s gonna be in Mrs. Benson’s class with us. Reyna already called dibs,” Leo said as they set their backpacks down in the locker room.

“Reyna calls dibs on everyone,” Jason retorted.

“Well, whatever. He just better not try anything with Callie. Rachel told me that she wants me to ask her to the spring dance.” Callie was a seventh grader who had shiny brown hair and a nice, dimpled smile. Leo was totally head over heels for her, but she had never really noticed him or tried to talk to him; after all, it was basically social suicide for seventh graders to associate with lowly sixth graders like themselves, even with Jason’s pseudo-celebrity status. Lately, though, she had been caught sneaking furtive glances at Leo in the cafeteria during lunch, and when Leo left a note in her locker asking if she liked him, she checked off the _maybe_ box, sending it back to him with a smiley face sticker on the top right corner. According to Leo, this was a great sign that things were progressing to the next level.

“Maybe my dad will let me have him over after school. I know what it’s like to feel like the odd one out,” Jason said thoughtfully, taking a soft swing with his baseball bat. It was true—Jason always felt different from the other kids at school, no matter how hard he tried to fit in. Everyone wanted something from him, like an autograph from their favorite actor or an invite to a VIP event, things like that.

“Okay, but if he does, _he_ has to use the weird Xbox remote, not me. By the way, did you see the new episode of _Mythomagic: Reloaded_ last night?”

Parkshore Middle School was located just 15 minutes away from Jason’s home in Ventura, CA. It used to be “not very nice” according to his mother, Beryl, but after a _very generous_ contribution from an “anonymous” donor, it looked as good as new, with high vaulted ceilings and a newly remodeled gymnasium. Jason’s father, Zeus, thought it was important for Jason to attend a public school, even though they could basically afford the finest education in the Western hemisphere. He thought it _built character_ , which Jason thought was code for _slowly ripping out your will to live as you are forced to consume mediocre slideshow presentations and pizza that tastes like wet cardboard_.

As Jason walked through the hallways towards Mrs. Benson’s room, he thought about the new kid again. He wondered what he would be like, and whether or not his father would approve of their friendship. Then again, maybe he was getting too far ahead of himself—the kid might not even _like him_ , much less want to spend time with him. It’s just that, other than Leo and Piper, Jason didn’t really have a friend that really cared about him, not just whatever rumors they heard about his dad and his life. With the new guy, Jason could pretend for a moment that he really was just plain, 13-year-old Jason Grace—not the heir to a multi-billion-dollar entertainment company, and _certainly_ not anything that the tabloids liked to call him in their unflattering tweets and articles.

When he stepped into the classroom, he was only a little disappointed to discover that he was one of the first people there, other than Clovis and Reyna. Clovis, as per usual, was asleep on his desk, getting drool all over his history assignment. Reyna, on the other hand, studied Jason with hawk-like eyes, like she was debating whether to kiss him or yell at him or both at the same time. Thankfully, she decided none of the above, instead returning her focus towards her book, _The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery._ Jason was another boy that Reyna had called dibs on, all the way back in the 4th grade. When he told her he didn’t like her like that, she dumped her pudding cup on his head and then ran off to cry in the bathroom. Ever since then, there was some weird tension between the two.

Leo showed up exactly three minutes later, dumping a collection of pipe cleaners and rubber bands on his desk that was surely going to become something epic within about ten minutes. Leo didn’t ride to school with Jason on Mondays because he got dropped off early for Robotics Club. Leo was amazing at building all kinds of stuff—he told Jason that one day he’d build the first rocket for recreational space travel, and Jason had no doubt in his mind that he’d do it. He was just that talented.

“Catch a glimpse of the new kid yet?” Leo asked, wrapping a pipe cleaner into a vaguely cylindrical shape.

“No, not yet. Are you sure he’s coming today?”

“Yeah, dude. Silena and the other girls were talking about it by the water fountains. Apparently they saw him and think he’s cute. Callie was there, but she didn’t say anything, I don’t think.” More kids started to flood the room, but none of them were the newcomer in question. In the meanwhile, Clarisse shot a spitball across the room, which landed directly on Leo’s arm. He yelped, scrambling to shake it off and blushing when her and the rest of her gang laughed at him.

“Alright class, let’s going to get started today," Mrs. Benson said as she fluttered into the room, a large coffee stain dominating the bottom half of her denim skirt. "As some of you may know, we have a new student joining us today. He comes all the way from New York City, so I expect everyone to show him kindness and friendship. I’m sure he’ll be joining us in a few minutes. With that, let’s open our books to page—”

“Sorry, I’m here. I couldn’t find the room number.” Jason looked up to see a boy standing in the doorway, nervously shuffling a map of the school in his pale hands. He looked to be about a few inches shorter than Jason, with wavy black hair and a smattering of freckles across his nose and cheekbones. He wore a blue T-shirt that said _Poseidon Pro Shop_ in faded letters, and his jeans had a little hole just below the right knee. For some reason, Jason’s throat felt thick. He had to swallow a few times so he could breathe again.

“Ah, here we are. Class, this is Perseus Jackson.”

“Oh, um—Percy is fine, thanks.”

“Percy, why don’t you take a seat next to Frank over there? We’ll make sure you have a permanent seat for tomorrow.”

Class went by in a blur. Jason was vaguely aware that they were talking about something called Reconstruction, but if someone were to ask him about the specifics, he’d probably just give them a vacant stare. Truthfully, he was still thinking about Percy. Percy looked different than any other kid at school—he definitely had a surfer vibe with his looks and style, but his demeanor seemed _sad_ almost, like he was carrying some kind of heavy burden on his shoulders. When the bell rang, Jason quickly zipped up his backpack and booked it to the door, hoping to introduce himself before his next class started. He had to awkwardly wait around for a second while the rest of the students flowed out of the classroom, but then all of a sudden, him and Percy were face-to-face, a mildly perplexed expression painted on the smaller boy’s face.

“Jason! Uh, Jason. I mean—my name. Jason. My name is Jason,” he blabbered, his cheeks turning the color of ripe tomatoes. Percy smiled softly, readjusting his backpack that he hung off of one shoulder.

“Nice to meet you, Jason. Could you, um, could you tell me where I could find Film with Mr. Clio? This school feels like a maze.”

“Oh, yeah! I took that class last semester. Mr. Clio is cool. He used to work with my dad.”

“What’s your dad do?” _Frick._ Jason silently cursed himself for bringing it up.

“He… works in the TV industry. He does some, uh, projects and stuff.” _Nice one, Grace, very eloquent. Could you be any more specific?_

“Oh, that’s cool.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“So, um—”

“There you are! My two best friends in the entire world!” Leo squeezed himself between the boys and threw his arms lazily around both of their shoulders, walking with them like he was an old-time schmoozer trying to impress some giggling starlets. Jason felt sort of bad because now they were blocking the flow of traffic, but he decided not to say anything.

“Sorry, who are—”

“Leo Valdez, my friend, and _you_ are Mr. Percy Jackson. Jason here has been _dying_ to meet you. He’s been talking about it for days.” Never before had Jason wished so hard for the floor to open up and swallow him whole. He delivered a well-placed elbow to Leo’s ribcage, which earned him a sharp cry of pain and a murderous look.

“Oh, cool. Well, I gotta go to class, so I’ll uh—yeah, bye,” Percy squealed as he untangled himself from Leo and basically ran down the hallway. Jason sighed, turning to face Leo with angry eyes.

“Great, now he thinks I’m obsessed with him, so thanks for that. I just wanted to be his _friend,_ Leo, not his _boyfriend!”_ At the word “boyfriend”, Jason’s stomach did a little kickflip. He wondered if it was the blueberry muffin he ate this morning for breakfast.

“He’ll come around, Jace. Everyone in this school would kill to be friends with you. You’re Zeus Grace’s son.” Maybe Jason was imagining this, but he could have sworn that the smirk Leo wore didn’t quite reach his eyes. Jason tried to remember to ask him about it later, but it had slipped his mind by 5th period.

It wasn’t until next week that Jason got a chance to talk to Percy again. He always seemed to be hanging out with Annabeth Chase, much to his chagrin. It wasn’t that Jason _didn’t_ like Annabeth, although she could be of annoying sometimes in that know-it-all kind of way. But Percy was supposed to be _Jason’s_ friend, not hers. And her stupid blond hair and gray eyes didn’t help, either. Like, Jason had blonde hair, too. So why did Percy seem to be avoiding him? Was it because of that hallway fiasco? Because honestly, that wasn’t even Jason’s fault—if Leo hadn’t butted in, everything would’ve been fine.

“One, two, three, eyes on me,” Mrs. Benson called from the whiteboard.

“One, two, eyes on you,” the class droned in unison. Jason picked at his nails, trying not to stare at the back of Percy’s head like a crazy person. _Of course_ Mrs. Benson had picked the space right in front of Jason for Percy to sit. It made focusing in class even harder than it usually was, which was really saying something.

“Today, we’re going to be starting a partner assignment on the Panic of 1873. If you’re in the first or third row, please turn around to face the person behind you. This will be the person you work with for the rest of day, after which you’ll be required to spend some time together outside of class. The instructions are on the sheet you picked up by the door, and if you have any questions, just let me know.” Oh, wonderful. Now Jason can embarrass himself even more. So much for a solid second impression.

“Uh, hey Jason. So I guess we’re partners,” Percy said, gazing at Jason with a furrowed brow. He hadn’t noticed this before, but Percy had different colored eyes—one was the color of seaweed, and the other the color of the Pacific Ocean. Jason felt his heart skip a beat.

“Yeah… um, so the Panic of 1873 was when people… panicked a lot?” Jason asked, which earned him a soft chuckle. He liked the sound of Percy’s laugh. It reminded him of the wind chimes at his grandma’s house in Kansas, when she would make him lavender honey lemonade and sweet cream tarts and play her favorite Johnny Cash songs on cassette.

“No, the Panic of 1873 was an economic crisis, but I guess it did probably make a lot of people panic, huh? No offence, but it seems like we have a lot of work to do.” Jason scratched at his head, smiling a little in a shy sort of way.

“Well, I mean… I need to ask my dad, but maybe you can come over tomorrow after school, and we can like, work on it together and stuff? I also have an Xbox, but you’ll have to use the broken remote because Leo gets weird about people using his.” Jason briefly thought about inviting his oldest friend over to hang out with them, too, but something in his mind held him back. He was surprised by how much he wanted to _know_ Percy. Leo was an open-book, always willing to share what’s on his mind, but Jason could tell that Percy was complicated—and there would be less pressure if they were alone, or at least that’s what he told himself.

“That sounds fun, actually. But I’m only good at _Rollercoaster Tycoon_ , so if you want to play something else you’ll have to teach me.”

“Okay. Sounds like a plan.”


	2. Chapter 2

Percy had no idea what he got himself into. When he accepted the invitation to Jason’s house, he didn’t really think anything of it—sure, most of the houses in Ventura were much nicer than the dingy apartments he moved around in with his mom, Sally, but the Grace mansion was the most beautiful place he’d ever been to in his _life._ The front of the house looked like something straight out of ancient Greece, with its tall, marble pillars and gilded décor. In the distance, he saw what looked like a swimming pool, tennis courts, and… were those stables? He couldn’t help but wonder if Annabeth had ever been invited over; she definitely would have obsessed over the architecture of this place (and probably the horses, too). Jason must have noticed his bewildered expression, because he shot Percy a sympathetic grimace before unclicking his seatbelt.

“Yeah, um… so this is my house? Thanks for the ride, Paolo,” he said, throwing open the door of the BMW and stepping outside. Paolo was Jason’s _personal_ driver, since apparently each member of his family had someone assigned to them to be on-call at all times. Paolo had fiery orange hair and a devilish smile, and when he picked the two boys up from school the day after the project was assignment, he gave Percy a box of Hot Tamales like that was just an everyday thing. Percy didn’t really like how spicy they were, so he put them in his pocket to give to his mom later.

“Dude, what did you say your dad did again?” Percy asked as Jason plunked in the code to the gate.

“Ah… he owns Olympian Broadcasting. Please don’t make it a big deal.”

“Oh. Okay. I won’t.” When Jason had introduced him himself last week, Percy knew something was different about him. He was taller than Percy, and there was a certain confidence that seemed to come naturally to him, like someone who had been told they were special their entire life. His golden hair was cut a bit pretentiously, and he wore clothes that seemed to be tailored specifically for him. Percy felt sort of bad for running away from him, but to be honest, Jason _scared_ him in a way that no person had ever before.

“Mom?” Jason called as he pushed open the door. The house was even more massive on the inside, if that was even possible. It was beautifully decorated, too, like someone had cut and pasted all the best arrangements from a _Better Homes and Gardens_ magazine. But it also felt sort of sterile—Percy wondered how much time Jason’s family spent together. For some reason, he couldn’t imagine Mr. Grace sitting down with his son and watching a movie with him.

“She must be out getting her nails done or something. She’ll be back soon. You wanna meet my sister?”

If Percy thought Jason was intimidating, then Thalia Grace was in an entire league of her own. Her room was dark and brooding, nothing like the rest of the suburban fantasy that was Jason’s home. Posters from different indie rock bands littered her walls, and the floor was a minefield of dirty clothes and other miscellaneous items. And then, of course, there was the girl in question—her spiky black hair, ripped tights, and steel-toed combat boots suggested that she meant _business._

“Jason, I told you that the next time you came into my room without permission you’d be… oh, who are you?” She asked, sitting up from her position on the bed.

“Percy, I’m Jason’s friend. Well, we’re working together on a history project,” Percy said, looking at Jason nervously. _Were_ they friends? They definitely had a good time together in Mrs. Benson’s class yesterday, and to his surprise, they ended up being really good partners. Percy liked how Jason’s eyes crinkled up when he was thinking hard about something, and the excited look he got whenever he had a burst of inspiration. In a way, he reminded Percy of a golden retriever, like the one he had as a kid before his old step-dad made him give it away.

“Nice to meet you, Perce. Jason usually doesn’t let me meet his friends. Says I _scare_ them,” Thalia complained, scrolling through her phone at an impressive speed.

“Well you do, Thalia.”

“It’s called having a brand, Jason. Appearances are everything. Now, how old are you Percy?” Thalia asked, giving him a once-over with a calculated eye.

“I turned twelve in January.”

“Oh, right, I always forget how young sixth graders are supposed to be, seeing as how mister _Jason_ over here had to be held back a year for his crippling anger management issues,” Thalia said with a smirk, earning a loud groan of protest from the sandy-haired boy. “It’s a shame, though. You’ve got potential, kid. Gonna be a real heartbreaker one day.”

Percy didn’t know why that made him so uncomfortable. At his old school, people used to make fun of him for his clothes, his acne, the little bit of baby fat that had refused to go away; the most popular girl at school, Drew, had even laughed in his face when he asked her if she would sit next to him at the first-day-of-school fifth grade pep assembly. He knew that puberty had hit him pretty hard in the summer, but he still didn’t consider himself attractive by any means, much less a _heartbreaker._

“Thalia, do you have the copy of Mario Kart in your room? I’d like to teach Percy how to play,” Jason said tightly. For some reason, he looked kind of angry, like he was mad at his sister for giving Percy a compliment.

“Check by the bookshelf, and then go away. Zoe’s stopping by in a second to grab her clothes that she left yesterday.”

“Found it. Let’s go, Percy,” Jason declared, dragging him out the door by his wrist. Percy threw one last glance at Thalia, who blew him a kiss before closing the door behind them.

“So, Thalia…”

“Sorry about her. She can be nice sometimes, but most of the time she’s a huge poop face. And sorry about all the anger management stuff, too. I, erm, go to therapy now, so it’s mostly fixed.”

“It’s fine, really. Should we, y’know, maybe start working on the project? My mom said I need to be home by five.” For a moment, Jason looked confused, like he forgot about why Percy was over there in the first place. Then, he straightened his shoulders, nodding his head in agreement.

“Yeah, we should do that. I was thinking we could do something based on mythology, since Mrs. Benson wants us to connect our research to something in popular culture. Like, maybe we can retell the story of the Panic of 1873 but base it around Pluto, since he was the god of wealth and jewels and stuff? Sorry if that’s stupid,” Jason added quickly, which made Percy feel a little sad for him. He wondered if Jason had ever been told how smart he really was.

“No, that’s—that’s actually a really cool idea, Jason. I had no idea you were interested in mythology.”

“Yeah, well, Leo and I like watching _Mythomagic: Reloaded,_ so I guess I’ve learned a few things from the show.”

“Maybe, uh… maybe I could watch it with you guys sometime? But only if you’d want me to,” Percy stammered, feeling butterflies in his stomach. He realized that he actually _liked_ spending time with Jason, as crazy as that sounded. He was definitely strange, but in an endearing way. Maybe they could be good for each other.

“Yeah!” Jason exclaimed, blushing a little by the volume of his voice. “I mean, yeah... that’d be chill or whatever. And like, if you wanted to sit with Leo and I at lunch, you could do that too.”

“Could Annabeth join us? I kind of already promised her I’d be her lunch buddy for the rest of the year.” Jason glowered a bit at the sound of Annabeth’s name, but quickly went back to his sunny disposition.

“Yeah. We can meet out by the choir room if that works. Leo likes to—”

“Jason, is that you?” A woman’s voice called from downstairs, which made the hairs on the back of Percy’s neck stand up. She sounded just like Marmie O’Hara, Percy’s babysitter when he was a kid. She used to invite boys over, who liked to go through his mom’s jewelry and steal food from his fridge.

“Yes, mother. I have a friend over, as well,” Jason affirmed in a weirdly formal tone. All of a sudden, a beautiful lady appeared in front of the two boys, wearing a fashionable blue tracksuit and dangly, jewel earrings.

“Oh, you’re not Leo. I’m Beryl, Jason’s mom. What’s your name, sweetie?” Beryl asked, looking over Percy kind of like Thalia did in her bedroom, except it felt much more critical, like Percy had just been caught doing something bad by his principal.

“Perseus Jackson.” Percy didn’t really know why he gave her his full name, but it felt right in the moment.

“Perseus. A lovely name. What do your parents do, then?” She inquired, which made Jason turn a violent shade of red.

“Mother—”

“Don’t interrupt, Jason. Perseus?”

“Um, well… my dad owns a bait and tackle shop in Miami, but I haven’t seen him in a while. And my mom is an RN at the Ventura County General Hospital. We just moved here last week.”

“I see,” Beryl murmured, giving Jason a look that screamed _we’re talking about this later._ “Well, now that you’re here, I refuse to allow you to walk around in these ratty clothes any longer. Paolo will take you boys shopping after school tomorrow, and then maybe a haircut for Perseus on Saturday with Juan, although you could probably use one as well, Jason. Does that work for you both?”

“Well, actually, I told my mom I would—” Percy started, but Beryl cut him off.

“Great! It’s settled then. Jason, make sure Percy gets a few pairs of new shoes, too. I think he’d look dashing in a pair of Christian Louboutins, don’t you think?”

“Oh, I can’t really afford—”

“Nonsense. We’ll just charge it to the platinum card,” Beryl insisted, with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. Percy shot Jason a desperate look, but he wasn’t paying attention; instead, he was studying the details on the carpet like they were the most interesting things in the world.

“Now, would you two boys like a snack?”

By the time Percy got home, Sally Jackson was in the kitchen cooking what looked like lasagna, except everything from the noodles to the sauce was dyed an almost disturbing shade of blue. That was kind of their thing—blue walls, blue food, blue _everything_. It started off as an inside joke after a stupid comment made by Percy’s ex step-dad, Gabe Ugliano (or as Percy liked to call him, _Smelly Gabe),_ but it also secretly reminded Percy of his dad, and the few times they shared together when his mom took him to Florida to visit during the holidays.

“Hi honey, how was school today? And how was, erm, what what was his name—Jack’s house?” Sally asked, dumping an impressive amount of garlic into a big pot.

“Jason. And it was fun, actually. His mom wants me to go shopping tomorrow and pick out some new clothes.” Sally froze, the spoon in her hands dripping sauce onto the cutting board.

“Percy, please tell me you told her no,” she said, her voice taking on a strange tone.

“Well, I _tried,_ but she wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

“You know we can’t afford a new wardrobe for you right now, honey, and I already told you that I need you to pick up your reduced-lunch slip from the district office after school tomorrow. Did you tell her that?”

“I did. She wants to pay for everything. Jason’s family is… rich, Mom. Like, really, _really_ rich. His Dad owns Olympian broadcasting.” At these words, Percy’s mom whipped around, gripping Percy’s shoulders with shaking hands.

“Percy, I understand that Jason is your friend. I’m not going to tell you that you can’t see him anymore, or that you can’t go over to his house. But you _must_ be careful around him, understood? His dad… he could ruin our lives, especially if he knew who your father really is. Tell me you understand,” Sally said, and for a moment Percy felt like his head was underwater, like his lungs could explode if did so much as take a breath.

“I understand,” he managed to squeak out. His mom must have noticed the terrified expression on his face, and she released her grip, an ashamed expression on her face.

“Okay. Okay. Now, let’s have some dinner, yeah?”

The next day was a whirlwind of price tags, clothes racks, and shopping bags. Percy had never tried on so many expensive clothes in his _life_. Leo tagged along with them, since Heph was sent to keep an eye out for any possible trouble as they moved from store to store. The three of them made a game out of it, seeing who could find the ugliest combination of items possible. Leo was winning, but barely—he paired a metallic Gucci jacket with a horrible pair of pleather pants, which made him look like a washed-up 80’s popstar who somehow found themself in the middle of the Hunger Games.

The last store they visited was for formal attire—Beryl demanded that each of the boys had something nice to wear to the spring dance, which was coming up in a few weeks. It was suprising to Percy just how big of a deal that dances were to the students of Parkshore middle school; at Percy’s old school, most of the kids just stood around and ate pizza while teachers tried to get them to do the Cupid Shuffle. Apparently, the spring dance at Parkshore was like the middle school equivalent of prom, which meant that it was important for Beryl that Jason’s group was the best-dressed tweens in attendance.

To no one’s surprise, Leo picked out an obnoxious, baby-blue tuxedo, complete with ruffles and a matching bowtie.

“It’ll match Callie’s eyes,” he said dreamily. When Jason pointed out that he still needed to _ask_ Callie to the dance, Leo punched him in the gut.

“So, uh, who are you gonna ask to the dance, Jason?” Percy probed, ignoring the heat that was building up in his cheeks as he searched through a rack of blazers. He wondered if he could ask the sales associate to turn the temperature down a little bit. It was kind of hot in there.

“Oh, I don’t know. I might just go solo, or maybe I’ll take Piper so she doesn’t feel left out. What about you?”

“I’m not sure yet, either. I think Annabeth wants me to take her. She keeps showing me pictures of her dress and telling me how nice it’d look in photos together. Rachel told me she likes me in 4th period today.”

“Really.” Jason grumbled, his hand gripping the sleeve of a burgundy suit jacket with more force than necessary.

“I don’t like her like that, though. At least, I don’t think. It’s complicated.”

“Well, you should go with her then. Maybe you’ll figure out how you feel at the dance.” Percy didn’t know why, but he felt a little disappointed when Jason suggested this. There was a small part of him that thought that he might want to go with Jason… as friends, of course. He liked the idea of the two of them dancing the night away, with no worries about parents or school or expectations.

“Yeah. I guess you’re right. Thanks for the advice,” Percy muttered, leaving Jason to go look at some dress shirts. By the time each of the boys had found what they were looking for, the sun was already about to go down—they piled into Jason’s car, passing around a blue raspberry Icee that Leo had bought while waiting for the other two to pick something out.

The ride to Percy’s place was pretty quiet, partly from exhaustion and partly because Percy was still thinking about his conversation with Jason from earlier. Annabeth was definitely pretty, and smarter than anyone he’s ever been friends with before. It’s not like they didn’t make sense together. So why did Percy feel so bad when he thought about asking her to go with him?

“Can I let you out here, Perce?” Paolo asked, spitting out chunks of Sour Patch Kids with every word. Seriously, what was with this guy and candy?

“Here’s fine. Thanks, Paolo. And thank you guys for today. I had a good time,” Percy said, letting his feet touch down on the cracked pavement that was becoming more and more familiar to him with each passing day. “See you tomorrow.”

When he turned away to wave goodbye, the car had already sped off, leaving Percy alone with nothing but the moonlight for company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's chapter 2! hopefully going to be introducing some new characters in the next chapter. thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

The thing about Leo was that he didn’t always like being the center of attention. Well, _most_ of the time he did, especially when it was just him and Jason and Percy, who had become a rather permanent fixture in the two boys’ lives over the past week and a half. But standing in the middle of the Parkshore Middle School lunch cafeteria with a megaphone and a bouquet of roses—well, that was another thing entirely.

“I can’t do this,” he moaned to Jason, burying his head in his shoulder. Percy stood next to them, trying not to laugh but failing miserably.

“Leo, you’ve been practicing for weeks. It’s now or never, man,” Jason said. Leo _hated_ how right he was.

“Okay. If I die, tell my dad I’m sorry for putting a Kraft single in the DVD player last week. I don’t think he’s found it yet.”

“Wait, why did you—” Percy started, but Jason shushed him, sending Leo off with a soldier’s salute and a look of admiration in his blue eyes.

Leo found her at the very back of the room, sitting in the middle between Silena and Katie. Callie looked as beautiful as always, her hair pulled back in an intricate braid that flowed down her back like a waterfall. She was eating cheese fries, which Leo thought was awesome. Nervously, he ran his fingers through his hair one last time to make sure it looked presentable; then, with a startling amount of courage, he clicked on the megaphone and held it up to his mouth.

At first, all that happened was the shrill sound of feedback, which filled the room and made everyone’s head snap up towards him. _Well, that’s a way to make an entrance._ Leo didn’t know if Callie could see him from where he was standing, so he jumped up on a table, earning a stern look from one of the lunch ladies.

“Attention, Parkshore students. My name is Leo Valdez, and I will be your lunchtime entertainment on this fine Tuesday afternoon,” Leo declared. From the crowd, someone threw a pepperoni at him, but it missed and landed on Will Solace’s lunch tray.

“Ahem, anyways. Jason, start the music please.” At his cue, Jason pulled out a small CD player and pressed _play._ At first, the CD skipped, and so he had to take it out and wipe it off on his sweatshirt, much to Leo’s dismay. But after several, excruciatingly long seconds, the starting notes to Frankie Valli’s _Can’t Take my Eyes Off of You_ started to play—Leo swayed his hips in a way that he hoped made him look mysterious and irresistible.

" _Y_ _ou’re just too good to be true,”_ Leo sang, wincing a bit when his voice cracked on the word _good._ Some of the students in the crowd snickered, and for a moment all Leo wanted to do was run away and go hide underneath the bleachers. But then he saw Callie, sitting there all pretty-like with a rosy tint on her cheeks. So he continued, building up more confidence with every passing line.

Leo had come up with the idea for the proposal after watching _10 Things I Hate About You_ with his half-sister three weeks ago. Piper had been pretty much _obsessed_ with Heath Ledger lately (although Leo wasn’t actually sure she knew about his… well, you know) and had basically begged Leo to watch all of his movies with her, starting with _Blackrock_ and ending with _The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus._ Leo didn’t think he’d enjoy the rom-com as much as he did—he was more of an action, blood-and-guts kind of guy, But, to be honest, he saw a lot of himself in Cameron James. Sweet, selfless, totally misunderstood—and, not to mention, completely head over heels for a girl that was way out of his league. So Leo thought it only fitting that he should ask Callie to the dance with the coolest, most timeless scene from the movie, when Heath's character dazzles the feminist-badass Kat Stratford with his devilish good looks and sexy dance moves. 

After learning the song and coming up with choreography, the only thing he was missing was the marching band. He had asked the band teacher, Mr. Jennings, to help him out, but all he got was a door slammed in his face and a detention slip for skipping class. Apparently, he still wasn’t over the time Leo hid in the bass drum and scared all those second graders at the winter holiday band concert. Some people just don’t know how to take a joke.

So, he improvised. Although the Robotics team was _technically_ working on a miniature hydraulics system this semester, which is what Leo should have been focusing on, he had instead devised a secret project of his own. It took him many, _many_ hours (not to mention all of the tools and parts he “borrowed” from the storage closet) to put together what was perhaps his most complex invention yet. The test runs were promising, plus or minus a few small tweaks and, er… fiery explosions. Leo thought the biology classroom needed a skylight installed, anyways.

Anyways, it was the moment of truth. Leo took a deep breath in and out before blowing on the cheap, plastic whistle that he had hung like a necklace around his neck. All of a sudden, the doors to the cafeteria swung wide open, and a robot the size of grizzly bear sauntered into the room, creaking and groaning with every step.

At first, nothing happened, and Leo was nervous that it wasn’t going to work after all. But then, Caerus (which was the name he had given the automaton based on the Greek god of opportunity, luck, and favorable moments) erupted in an entire orchestra’s worth of music, flooding the cafeteria with the sounds of various types of horns, drums, and even a glockenspiel. _YES!_ Leo wanted to scream out loud. He had done it—he had created Parkshore Middle School’s first robot one-man band, and he had done it all by himself.

Some of the students were freaked out— one kid even looked just about ready to pee himself. But, most of the crowd looked suitably impressed, taking Snapchats and Instagram videos of the robot to upload on to social media. Even better, when Leo glanced over at Callie, she looked delighted, like a child meeting their favorite character at Disneyland.

Caerus played for a while, doing a terrific combination of Smash Mouth's _All Star_ and the _Star Wars_ _Cantina Theme_. Then, Leo once again took over with his megaphone, invigorated by the excellence of his own handiwork. He made his way over to Callie and her friends, students moving out of the way for him like he was Moses parting the Red Sea. Finally, he set the megaphone down and handed her the roses, whispering the final line of the song almost reverently— a quiet declaration of all the emotions he had felt for her since nearly the start of the school year.

Honestly, Leo had expected a Colosseum’s worth of applause— after all, he had positively _crushed it._ Instead, all he got was a polite smattering of claps from nearby tables, as well as two very loud whoops from Jason and Percy, who were still on the opposite side of the room. Hm. Well, maybe his voice wasn’t as godlike as he thought. But it didn’t really matter; all Leo cared about was the girl sitting right in front of him, examining a rose petal like it was the most precious thing in the world.

“So?” Leo said breathlessly.

“So what? You still haven’t asked me, stupid head,” Callie said, which made the rest of the girls giggle. Callie was apart of the popular crowd, but not the mean one—that was Clarisse’s department. Still, Leo felt a little embarrassed. The last thing he wanted to do was look _inexperienced._

“Um.. right, uh—Callie, would you do me the honor of allowing me to escort you to the spring dance?” Leo asked with a grin. For extra measure, he grabbed her hand with his own, praying to the higher beings that were that it wasn’t as clammy as it felt.

“Yes, I think that could be arranged,” Callie declared, drawing a collection of squeals and _awws!_ from Silena and Katie. Then, so fast that Leo almost missed it, she leaned over and kissed his cheek, leaving some sticky residue from her strawberry-scented lipgloss. The next few details were hazy; Leo vaguely remembered promising to send her a Facebook message before wandering back to his friends, with each step feeling like he was walking on air. Caerus trailed behind him, accidently running over a few feet in the process.

“Dude, that was so epic!” Percy cheered, with Jason nodding his head wildly in agreement. “I don’t know how we’re supposed to top that.”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine—you’re asking Annabeth, right?” Leo thought he saw Jason stiffen out of the corner of his eye, but he wasn’t sure.

“Erm… yeah, I think so. Unless someone else wants to go with me,” Percy said quietly, kicking his shoe rather sullenly on the linoleum tile.

“Dude, no offence, but Annabeth is like your only friend who’s a girl. Who else could you possibly go with?” Leo retorted. Now, listen. In hindsight, this was a rather heteronormative response. But hey! Leo was 12. He still thought that making moaning sounds was like, the funniest thing ever. So you can’t really blame him for being ignorant on the nuances of human sexuality.

“Girl… right.” Percy looked into the distance for a second, like he was thinking about something important. Then, he focused back in on Leo and Jason, smiling like everything was all sunshine and lollipops. “I’ll ask her tomorrow. Maybe my mom can help me make a sign or something tonight.”

“Atta boy! That just leaves Jason. Percy, can you _please_ tell him not to invite my sister? It would totally mess up the group dynamic.”

“Actually,” Jason said quietly, “I asked Reyna to go with me earlier this morning. Sorry, I forgot to tell you guys.”

“Oh… congrats, dude! That’s, erm, an interesting choice. But I’m happy for you!” Leo exclaimed. He thought that Percy would say something, too, but he just looked kind of stone-faced. “ _We_ ’re happy for you, right Perce?”

“Yeah, totally. Excuse me guys—I forgot I have to go do something for, um… Mr. Clio’s class. See you later,” Percy snapped, running off without another word. Well, _that_ was weird.

“Geez, who pissed in his cornflakes this morning? Anyways, Jason, we should start brainstorming what restaurants we could go to. I was thinking maybe that sushi place your dad took us to before the Emmys last year, what do you think?”

“Yeah,” Jason mumbled, a faraway look in his eyes. “Sure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a bit of a shorter chapter this time! next one's gonna be a big one, so get ready folks ;)


	4. Chapter 4

Jason wasn’t sure if it was possible for a night to go more wrong. Well, it probably was—he could’ve been, like, robbed, or maybe turned into a giant duck by a vengeful, bloodthirsty wizard or something. But that’s not the point. The point was that Jason screwed things up with Percy, and he had screwed them up _big time_. He could see tomorrow’s Daily Sun headline now: _Grace Heir Ruins Everything Good in His Life Because He Can’t Keep His Dumb Idiot Mouth Shut (and we have the exclusive)!_

Here’s how it all went down. The whole thing started about four days before the dance, when Percy finally invited Annabeth to be his date. Since the weird conversation in the lunchroom, things had been a little tense between him and Jason, although Jason wasn’t sure exactly as to _why_. First, he thought that maybe Percy didn’t like Reyna—after all, she wasn’t exactly in the running for Miss Congeniality of Parkshore Middle School. However, he threw out that idea pretty quickly; Jason had seen the two mingling politely by the lockers last Wednesday after gym class, and he was pretty sure that Percy would’ve said something to him if that was the way he really felt. Then, for a horrifying moment, he thought that maybe Percy _liked-_ liked Reyna, which is why he was so annoyed when Jason ask her to the dance. But that didn’t really seem right, either, leaving Jason to wonder if… no. Absolutely not. _Jason_ couldn’t be the problem, could he _?_ The very idea of that made his stomach turn, like he was eight years old and riding the Lex Luther Drop of Doom ride at Six Flags all over again.

Unlike Leo’s extravagant proposal, Percy’s was more of a quiet affair—he brought her some sad-looking, grocery store sunflowers and a sign that said _I Sea Us Together at The Dance_ , decorated with drawings of shells and ocean waves. Annabeth looked properly embarrassed about the whole thing, which Jason thought was kind of stupid; it wasn’t like she didn’t know it was going to happen, especially since she just _randomly_ decided to curl her hair and throw on her favorite outfit before school. She also carried around the sunflowers to every single class, even thought it would have made more sense to store them in her locker for the rest of the day. Every time Jason caught a glimpse of those yellow, wilting petals, he clenched his teeth with annoyance.

Percy found him by in the back parking lot after school, looking suitably glum and morose. Jason was alone—Leo had been picked up early from school to go to the dentist, so he wasn’t catching a ride with them today. Theoretically, Percy and Jason were supposed to finish up the history project at Jason’s house, but he honestly didn’t know if he had the energy to think about railroad strikes and protection tariffs.

“Hey,” Percy said, but Jason didn’t respond. He tried again, which earned him a small mumble of something that sounded like a _hello._

“Jason… are we cool? It kind of feels like we’re fighting.”

“I don’t know, are we?” Jason snapped in reply, feeling a little bad when he saw Percy’s face crumble like a kicked puppy dog. But then he thought about Annabeth, with her sunflowers and the stupid sign, and he got angry all over again.

“If I did something wrong, can you please just tell me so I can—”

“Just drop it, okay? I don’t want to talk about it.”

“If this is about Annabeth—”

“I thought I told you to _drop it.”_ As soon as Jason said this, he wished he could take it back. He sounded just like his father did when he had to take important business calls at the dinner table, all vicious and calculated and _cruel._ He realized, perhaps too late, that this was why people were scared of the Graces—they always came out on top, no matter how many lives they destroyed in the process.

At first, Percy didn’t say anything, staring into Jason’s eyes like he couldn’t believe what he just did. Then, he took off his backpack and zipped it open, fumbling around for a second until he found what he was looking for.

“Here,” Percy said, handing Jason a folder full of the pieces of their unfinished project. “It’s pretty much done. You just need to print out some pictures and glue it to the front cover.”

“But I thought you were coming over today so we could finish it together.”

“Actually, I think I’m going to walk home. See you later, Jason,” Percy scowled, his cheeks blotched a deep, angry red.

“Percy, wait—” Jason started, but he was already gone, walking swiftly across the parking lot. Jason sighed, running a hand through his golden hair. At that moment, Paolo pulled up with the BMW, its silver rims shining brightly in the sunlight. Jason got into the passenger seat, putting on his seatbelt with more force than necessary.

“Hey, kiddo. Where’s Percy? I brought him some blue raspberry sour belts,” Paolo said, shooting Jason a wicked smile while peering at him over the frame of his aviators.

“He’s not coming today,” Jason responded sullenly. Before Paolo could say anything else, he turned the radio up to full volume and shut his eyes, letting the raspy voice of Amy Winehouse drift him off into a light and restless slumber.

That night, Jason made it about five hours before he tried to text Percy, which he was pretty proud of himself for. He was laying on his bed, splayed out like a starfish, replaying the conversation they had like an old record. Jason really did feel bad for the way he treated him. It wasn’t fair for him to have been so cross with Percy, especially because he didn’t _even know_ what had made him so angry in the first place. So, he pulled out his phone, thinking of about a dozen different ways to write the message before finally settling on something he liked.

“ _hey,_ ” he began, deciding that capital letters would look too formal. _“i’m sorry for what happened this afternoon. it was mean and i shouldn’t have done it. are we still friends?”_ Pressing _send_ felt cathartic, like a weight had been lifted off of Jason’s scrawny shoulders. Percy would message him back, accepting his apology, and everything would be fine.

Except everything _wasn’t_ fine, because Percy was deliberately ignoring his text—he even turned on his read receipts and everything. Jason frowned and typed something new.

 _“i was a huge jerk head. i guess i was just nervous about the group dynamic and adding all the girls and stuff. tbh ur one of my closest friends and i dont want to lose u.”_ Ten minutes went by, still with no response. Finally, Jason realized he needed to pull out the big guns.

 _“call me and ill try to convince my mom to let us take the quads to arroyo verde next saturday.”_ Almost immediately, Jason’s phone began to ring; no adolescent boy could resist the temptation of riding an ATV down a thin dirt path, even one as stubborn as Percy.

“You were a huge jerk head,” Percy mumbled, his voice cracking through the phone, which made Jason grin. He was forgiven at last.

“I’ll take it, Seaweed Brain.”

“Um, by the way, my mom—” Percy paused, rustling around like he was trying to get comfortable. “My mom wants to know what the plan is for this weekend. She was wondering if Annabeth should come to my house first or if we could pick her up on our way to dinner.”

“We can pick her up,” Jason declared. For some reason, the thought of Annabeth and Percy spending alone time together made him want to puke.

“Okay. Also, er, Leo was talking about maybe going to Nobu to get sushi before the dance? Which is cool, but…” Percy awkwardly trailed off, but Jason understood where he was going with it.

“We’ve got the bill,” Jason said, earning a sigh of relief from the other end of the line. “All you need to do is show up with your pretty face and that’s it.” _Oh my god._ Jason felt mortified. Why did he say that?! Now Percy was going to think he had, like, _a crush on him_ or something. And Jason definitely did NOT have a crush on Percy Jackson, thank you very much.

“Great. Thanks, Jason. You’re a good friend.” If Percy had heard what Jason had said, he didn’t acknowledge it.

They stayed on the phone for hours, just talking about life and school and things like that. When Jason looked over at his clock, he was surprised to see that it was 2:00 in the morning—he was going to be absolutely exhausted for school tomorrow, but all in all, it was worth it.

“Okay, Grace. Mom says I got to hang up now,” Percy said sleepily, yawning through his sentence. Jason rubbed at his eyes, murmuring out an agreement. They had been talking about Mythomagic or something, but it all was kind of blurring together at that point.

“I’ll see you at school tomorrow. And, um, Jason? _Yourfaceisprettierthanmineokaybye!”_ By the time Jason had fully registered those words, the line had already gone dead; he wasn’t even able to come up with a clever response or anything, much to his disappointment. Was that… did Percy just _flirt_ with him? The idea was ridiculous. Percy liked girls, and Jason… well, Jason didn’t really know what he felt. But still, as Jason stared as his phone, he was filled with an emotion that felt the tiniest bit like hope.

The dress clothes were itchy, and Reyna was making him feel uncomfortable. She was sitting in the parlor with Jason, Leo, Callie, and _Zeus Grace,_ of all people. Jason hadn’t expected his dad to come see them off, especially while wearing a pair of khaki shorts and sipping a martini. Yet, here he was, taking photos of the group and joking around with his friends like this was a thing that happens on a regular basis.

“Okay,” Beryl announced as she bounced into the room, her heels clacking on the marble floors. “Jason and Reyna, you’re going to ride with Paolo to pick up Percy and his date. Leo and Callie, you’ll be going with Leo’s dad straight to the restaurant to make sure the table is in order. Oh! Corsages. Jason, honey, go be a dear and grab those from the kitchen.” The last time Jason had seen his mother this frantic was when she had competed against Mary-Sue Westchester for the Ming vase at the Annual Ventura Arts Auction two years ago. She had won, of course, through a series of gaslighting and manipulation tactics. Beryl Grace was _scary_ when she wanted to be.

Jason had a hard time with the corsage, which was silly in hindsight because all he needed to do was tie the ribbon onto Reyna’s wrist. She looked unamused at his efforts.

“Do you need help with that?” She asked in a bored tone. Jason blushed, but nodded. Somehow, Reyna managed to make a double-knot on the ribbon with just her right hand, which would have been more impressive if Jason wasn’t as focused on trying to not sweat through his navy blue, three-piece suit. 

“Um… so tonight will be fun,” Jason squeaked. Reyna examined him with her fierce eyes, then straightened her shoulders.

“We’ll see,” she said before walking away to go get a mini cupcake from the snack table. Jason let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, just as Leo bounded up to him with the energy of one hundred golden retrievers.

“ _Dude,_ this is amazing! I can’t wait till Percy and Annabeth join us. Also, I may or may not have bribed Beckendorf to play some slow songs for Callie and I tonight. He told me he’s gonna play _Wonderwall!_ Do you think she’d say yes if I asked her to be my girlfriend?”

“Leo, Callie would be lucky to have you,” Jason said. “You’re everything a girl could want in a guy.”

“Yes!” Leo cried, doing a victory lap around the living room. “Say goodbye to Mister Heartbreaker Valdez. I’m going to be a taken man.”

“Alright everyone, to your cars please. Jason, check in with the photographer when you get to the gym, please. He promised me some good shots for the photo album this year,” Beryl said, rubbing a speck off of Jason’s check.

“Okay, Mom. Love you.” One by one, each of the kids trailed out of the door, taking with them the overpowering scent of Bath and Body Works and Axe Body Spray. However, before Jason could follow, his dad called out his name, beckoning Jason over with his stormy, grey eyes.

“Have a good time tonight, son,” Zeus said, grabbing Jason’s shoulder with his large hand. “You’ve made a good choice with Reyna. She is a profound young woman.”

“Uh, thanks,” Jason said. “She’s cool, I guess.”

“Be home by 10, will you? And come find me in my study before going to bed,” Zeus said. “There are some things I’d like to discuss with you.”

“I will, Father.”

“I’m very proud of you, son,” Zeus said, an unfamiliar warmness radiating off of his strong frame. “You will do great things one day.”

_It just wasn’t fair,_ Jason bemoaned as Percy stepped outside of the apartment building with his mom, Sally. Percy always looked good, but in his dress clothes he looked just like a young Clark Kent, ready to sweep some damsel right off her feet. His black, unruly curls were tamed and glossy, and his face shone with a type of confidence that Jason had never seen before from the short, freckled boy. When they had gone shopping last week, Percy had opted out of a suit jacket, instead donning a white dress shirt and burgundy suspenders. Jason was tempted to snap one of the suspenders, but then he realized that it would probably be weird to do just out-of-the-blue, so he ended up just putting his hands in his pocket and hoping that it looked nonchalant.

“Oh! You must be Jason,” Sally cried, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing tightly. “Percy has told me so much about you.”

“Mom,” Percy muttered, blushing. “All bad things, I assure you.”

“Ha ha. Very funny.”

“And you must be Jason’s date,” Sally said, turning to face Reyna. In all honesty, Jason kind of forgot she was there. Reyna gave a small smile and hugged her politely. “Okay, group picture before you guys head out. Jason, why don’t you go in the middle?”

The three of them got into a horizontal line, with Percy on Jason’s right and Reyna on his left. There was an intense amount of inner turmoil on Jason’s part for whether he should put his arms around their waists or their shoulders, but shoulders eventually won out in the end. All he could do was hope that he didn’t look constipated in the picture, but knowing Jason’s luck, he probably did.

After a few more equally unfortunate shots, Percy said goodbye to his mom, and the three piled into the BMW. After Percy gave Paolo the address to Annabeth’s, he turned to face the other two.

“Sorry about my mom,” Percy said bashfully, “she gets kind of intense about these things.”

 _Oh, you have no idea,_ Jason wanted to say. Instead, he just flashed him a sympathetic smile.

“So, Percy,” Reyna said after some time. “How has the first few weeks of Parkshore been for you?”

“Good, I think. Honestly, I’m just happy to have made friends.”

“I’m surprised that Jason has grown so… attached to you,” Reyna remarked. “He’s not much of a people person.”

“Gee, thanks,” Jason grumbled.

“Well, it’s true.”

“I don’t think—” Whatever argument was about to happen was cut short by Paolo wildly swinging into a driveway, lined with pebbles and tiny, yellow flowers. Percy unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped out of the car; Jason watched him as he walked to the doorway and knocked on the door.

A tall, severe-looking Asian woman opened the door. She talked with Percy for a few seconds, looked out at the car, and returned back inside. A few minutes later, Annabeth appeared in the doorway, her hair swept up in a pretty-looking updo. She pinned a boutonniere onto Percy’s shirt pocket, and he placed a corsage on her wrist. Then, the two walked together to the car—Jason noted with some satisfaction that Percy didn’t try to hold her hand.

“Hey guys,” Annabeth said as she climbed in. “I hope you didn’t have to go too out of your way to pick me up.”

“Not at all,” Paolo said. “Next stop: Sushi Town, USA. Who’s hungry?”

The ride was largely uneventful. Percy and Jason clowned around together, as per usual. Reyna and Annabeth kept mostly to themselves, offering some observations and witty remarks every now and then. To his pleasant surprise, Jason realized that it wasn’t as awkward as he thought it would be. Sure, he still didn’t _love_ the idea of Annabeth being there, but it wasn’t like she was going to sprout devil horns and a tail or something. She was actually pretty nice.

When they got to the restaurant, the only people inside were Leo, Callie, and Heph, who sat at a different table and sipped at a steaming, herbal tea. Beryl rented out the whole place for privacy reasons, even thought Jason thought that was a little unnecessary. The silence gave the place a weird, sterile vibe, like they were in a hospital or something. But the food was good, and the company was even better—Callie got along great with the girls, which Jason could tell made Leo feel a lot more relaxed. By the time they got their bill, it was around 7:20 _PM; technically,_ the dance had already started, but the group decided that it was way cooler if they were fashionably late. Only weirdos showed up to events like this on time.

The first real problem of the night (of which, as aforementioned, there were _several_ ) occurred when they were trying to leave the restaurant. When Jason opened the door, a flash of cameras went off, reporters shoving each other trying to get the best shot of the young heir and his entourage. Heph went into full bodyguard mode, taking no prisoners as he pushed through the crowd to get the group to the parking lot. One guy tried to grab at Percy, which made Jason _see red_ —but before he could land a swing on him, Heph escorted him to the car, quite literally picking him up and placing him in the seat like he was a freaking toddler.

“Jason,” Heph warned. “ _Do not_ do this here.”

“But he was going to—”

“It will be taken care of. Understood? Breathe. Control your anger.”

“Heph, I can’t—”

“ _Control your anger.”_ Jason wanted to cry from how humiliated he felt. He hadn’t felt this strong of an urge to hit something in months, and honestly… it scared him pretty badly. He just needed to make sure Percy was okay. If something happened to him… if something—

“Jason?” Percy said, placing a hand on Jason’s arm worriedly. “Are you good, man? You looked super spaced out for a second.”

“I’m—good. It’s nothing,” Jason said. Now that he could see that Percy was unharmed, he felt the stress ooze out of his body. “I just wasn’t expecting the reporters.”

“Neither was I,” Heph said with a frown. “Some employee must have tipped them off that we would be here. I’ll deal with management in the morning.”

“So, um, should we still go to the dance? Or will it be dangerous?” Annabeth asked. She looked nervous, like the thought of having to miss out on parading through sweaty adolescents and standing in the gymnasium corner was excruciating.

“It should be okay, I believe. I’ll call Principal Chiron right now just to make sure that he hired those extra security detail, but once we’re on school property the paparazzi won’t bother us.”

“Hey Jason, last time we were in the papers it was when we went to that birthday party for Chloe Grace Moretz,” Leo said with a grin. “I bet you we’ll make front page this time.”

“Not if I have anything to do with it,” Heph declared. “Leo, Callie, let’s head out. We’ll meet up with the rest of you at the school.” After checking to make sure the coast was clear, he led the two to Heph’s beat-up Chevy Silverado across the street.

“Jason—” Reyna started, but he cut her off.

“Let’s just forget about it. Please,” Jason said. His mom liked to say that ignoring a problem makes it go away on its own. So that’s what Jason was going to do—ignore the problem. He was going to go to this stupid middle school dance, dance his heart out, and have a good time. He was _not_ going to think about reporters, his dad, or any of the strange feelings he was experiencing towards a certain wavy-haired boy. Everything was fine. _He was fine._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i had to split this chapter up because it was getting wayyyyyyy too long, lol. but next chapter will cover all of the dance, which is exciting!! thank you guys so much for the comments and kudos-- they make me feel so loved <3 <3


	5. Chapter 5

To say Percy was overwhelmed was an _understatement._ Jason had warned him that the school went all out for this kind of stuff, but this was seriously next level; when he had learned that the theme for the dance was “A Night in Ancient Greece”, Percy expected a few pillars borrowed from the drama department and some dollar-store fake ivy, not… this. The entire gym had been reconstructed to look like a floating island, with features such as a “golden” caramel apple display, a bronze dragon that could walk around and breath smoke ( _courtesy of the Parkshore Middle School Robotics Club,_ Leo said proudly), and a massive reproduction of the Athena Parthenos. The school had even recruited especially eager fifth graders to walk around as dryads, offering students treats like “Dionysius’s Grape Juice _”_ and ambrosia lemon bars.

“We don’t have to stay for the whole thing,” Jason said, catching on to Percy’s unease.

“No, it’s okay. I’m just… surprised is all. My old school never did anything like this.”

“If you think this is big, you should’ve seen what they did for the winter ball,” Leo exclaimed. “It’s been months, and I’m still finding glitter in my hair!”

As Percy continued to take everything in, he noticed Annabeth standing away from the others. He made his way over, shooting her a shy smile.

“Hey. I don’t know if I told you this earlier, but you look really nice tonight.”

“Thanks. You too.”

“So what do you think—"

“Percy,” Annabeth said quickly. “Will you come with me to see the Parthenos? I helped build some of the pieces in workshop, but I think I was absent on the day they put it all together.”

“Sure! You guys want to come with us?” Percy asked, looking around at Jason and the others. Leo made a face that could only be described as _scandalized_.

“Oh, uh… I was actually wondering if just the two of us could go, y’know…alone,” Annabeth mumbled shyly. Reyna and Callie stood behind her, looking at Percy like he was the dumbest person on the planet. He still didn’t get the hint.

“But wouldn’t it make more sense for us all to stay together? I don’t want to get lost—"

“Percy,” Leo interrupted with a groan. “Just shut up and go with her!”

 _Oh._ Now he understood.

“Okay. Okay, let’s—yeah, let’s go do that.”

The two began walking to the statue. On their way, they ran into Leo’s half-sister, Piper, who was talking to a group of three, athletic-looking men. Percy could see why Jason used to have a crush on her—she was gorgeous, with her bright eyes, dark hair, and caramel-bronzed skin. Her beauty, however, went beyond that; maybe it was the way she held herself, or the mischievous look in her eyes, but Percy knew Piper McLean was _not_ someone to be messed with.

“Annabeth! You look amazing tonight,” Piper gushed. “Who’s your date?”

“I’m Percy. I’m one of Leo’s friends, actually.”

“Oh, I know you! Luke, this is the one that Jason talks about all the time,” Piper said to the sandy-haired guy with a wicked scar on his right cheek. Luke grinned, putting his hand out for a very, _very_ firm handshake.

“What’s up, Percy? I’m Luke, and these two knuckleheads are Chris and Ethan. We’re on the baseball team with Jason.”

“We’re in eighth grade though, so you probably wouldn’t recognize us,” Ethan added smugly.

“Maybe he’d know who you were if you actually came to school once in a while, Nakamura.”

“Hey! Actually, fair.”

“Listen, Percy—Jason’s a great guy,” Chris said. “It makes me happy to see him making new friends.”

“Especially when the only person he spends time with is my idiot brother,” Piper declared. “I swear to God, Jason and Leo are actually nightmares. I don’t know how you put up with it, really.”

“You should see those three at lunch,” Annabeth said. “They get yelled at by the cafeteria monitor _at least_ three times a day.”

“Is that an invitation, Chase?”

“You bet,” Annabeth said with a grin.

“Well, if you ever need anything, just come find me, alright?” Luke said, giving Percy a good-natured slap on the back. “A friend of Jason’s is a friend of mine.”

“I will. Thanks, Luke. That means a lot.”

Not that Percy would ever say this to Annabeth, but the Parthenos was much less impressive up close. It was made out of wood and paper mache, and whoever painted Athena’s face made some seriously questionable decisions around the eyes and nose; she looked less like a powerful Greek goddess and more like a creepy animatic from Chuck-E-Cheese.

“It looks nice,” Percy said, because he was nothing if not polite.

“Don’t lie. It looks horrible.”

“Yeah,” Percy laughed, “it does. But at least it gives her character?”

“Sure, if this was the _Hunchback of Notre Dame_ and the character was Quasimodo.”

Percy took a second to study Annabeth. She really was an amazing friend, in that cool, down-to-earth way. He loved spending time with her, and talking to her… wait, was this what a crush felt like? Percy had never liked someone in that way before, so he wasn’t sure. He liked the idea of being in a relationship, though.

“Hey, what do you—”

“So, how long do—”

They both paused, giggling nervously.

“You go first,” Percy said.

“I was just going to ask how long you wanted to hang out here. Our friends will probably be wondering where we are soon.”

“Oh… um, I don’t know. What do you want to do?”

“Well,” Annabeth said, grabbing Percy’s hand. “This, for starters.”

_Oh no. This felt wrong. Why did this feel wrong?_

“Your hand is soft,” Percy blurted out. _No, this wasn’t wrong_ , he said to himself. _Just different. Different doesn’t have to mean bad._

“Thanks. I put lotion on earlier.”

“Cool.”

“Um, Percy, I—”

“Will you be my girlfriend?”

He didn’t mean to say it, not really. It was completely in reaction to the heat of the moment. But now the words were out there, and he couldn’t take them back, so he just looked down at his feet and hoped that Annabeth magically got a case of hearing loss in the last fifteen seconds.

“What? No,” Annabeth said, narrowing her eyes. “No offense, but I don’t want to be in a relationship with someone I just met.”

“Oh.”

“I _will_ go on a date with you, though. I do like you, Percy.”

“I like you too.” _I think? I don’t know. UGH!_ Annabeth gave him a warm smile before pulling him in the direction of where they came from.

“C’mon. Let’s find the others and go dance.”

They found the rest of the group by _Khione’s Ice Cold Sno-Cone Machine._ Annabeth still hadn’t let go of Percy’s hand, which was probably extremely sweaty and gross at this point. When Leo saw the two, he gave a loud _whoop_ of excitement.

“Atta boy! Reyna, you owe me five dollars.” Begrudgingly, Reyna pulled a crumpled bill out of her clutch and handed it to Leo.

“You guys _made a bet?”_

“Well, what else were we supposed to do? You guys took such a long time… but I guess that was the point, eh?”

“Leo, I will stick my dirty sock in your mouth.”

Percy risked a glance towards Jason, who was looking back at Percy with an unreadable expression on his face. For some reason, he felt kind of bad, like he owed Jason some sort of explanation or something. But that was silly—Jason could choose Percy’s clothes, his friends… but he couldn’t choose who Percy dated. That was off limits.

The song changed to a familiar beat. “Oh! I love the Cupid Shuffle!” Callie cried, grabbing Annabeth and Reyna and running off to the dance floor. Leo chased after them, waving his arms frantically in the air like he was a satyr chasing a tree nymph through the woods. That just left Percy and Jason, both of whom studied the other with a wary expression.

“So. You guys are together now.” It wasn’t a question, merely a statement of fact.

“No. I mean, yes. It’s complicated.”

“I see.”

“She isn’t my girlfriend.”

“Okay.”

“Um, okay.” Why were they being so awkward? Just yesterday, Jason had made Percy laugh so hard that milk shot out of his nose. Now, it felt like they were strangers all over again, even though Percy had no idea why things had changed so rapidly. It was all so confusing. 

“But she will be your girlfriend, eventually?”

“I mean, maybe. I don’t want to think that far ahead.”

“Yeah, you never do,” Jason said bitterly. He started to walk off, but Percy caught his arm, refusing to let the sandy-haired boy shut him out again.

“What does that mean?” Percy asked. “Jason, what are you talking about?”

“Forget it. It’s not important.”

Percy’s eyes flashed with anger. “ _No,_ I will not just forget it. I’m not going to sit here and pretend like everything is fine between us when clearly its not. You need to tell me what’s wrong. _Please._ ”

“I don’t—I don’t _know,_ okay? I can’t think straight. Not when I’m around you. You make me feel—you make me…” Suddenly, Jason looked sick, and for a minute Percy was nervous that he was going to throw up all over his new, expensive suit. Then, he straightened up, staring at Percy with cold, anguished eyes. 

“I wish I had _never met you._ ”

Sally Jackson’s blue Hyundai Sonata in the Parkshore Middle School parking lot was the most beautiful thing that Percy had ever seen in his short twelve years of existence. He opened the door and threw himself in the passenger seat, trying his very hardest not to burst into tears in front of his own mother. Thankfully, Sally gave him a few minutes to collect himself before she began to speak.

“So,” she started as they pulled out of the lot and onto the road. “You want to tell me why I’m going to be late to my shift at the hospital tonight, or should I just start guessing?”

“Not in the mood, Mom.”

“Space aliens. Oh! Maybe your principal turned into a centaur. Or maybe—”

“Jason and I got into a fight.”

If you could even call it a fight. After Jason had told Percy that… well, you know what he said, he ran off, getting lost in the thick crowd of dancing students. Percy tried to follow him at first, but it was useless. It was like he had disappeared into thin air.

“Oh sweetie, I’m so sorry. Are you guys going to be okay? I know you really liked him.”

“I dunno,” Percy said, glancing out the car window. “Maybe.”

“Well, what about Annabeth and the rest of your group? Are they still at the dance?”

“Yeah. They were all cool about me leaving, though.” That was a half-truth. When Percy told Reyna, Leo, Callie, and Annabeth that he was going home early, they seemed pretty confused and worried. He didn’t tell them exactly what happened, mostly because he didn’t want to start any drama, but they were perceptive enough to tell that something was seriously wrong.

“Percy,” his mom said. “It’s okay to be sad, you know.”

“I’m not sad.”

“Of course you’re not, but if you hypothetically _were—”_

“That would be a stupid hypothetical,” Percy mumbled. “Because I’m not sad.”

“God, you’re just like your father,” Sally laughed. “Both of you are so stubborn.”

Percy sat up in his seat a little. His mom hardly _ever_ talked about Dad.

“Do you think… is Dad proud of me, do you think?” Percy asked in a small voice.

“What? Percy, _of course_ your father is proud of you. We both are. You’re a great kid, honey.” That made Percy smile, but only a little. _I wish I had never met you._ Did Jason really mean it? Was Percy that unlikeable that his closest friend didn’t even care about him?

“Hey,” Sally said, reaching in her purse to retrieve her cell phone. “I know something that will cheer you up. Hey, Maya? It’s me. Look, something came up tonight and I was wondering if you could take my shift.”

The milkshake and fries from In N’ Out did, in fact, cheer Percy up. The two of them sat in the car until well past midnight, blasting showtunes and sharing stories from when they still lived in New York. Spending time with his mom made him feel a lot better, just like it always did. By the end of the night, Percy could hardly remember why he was upset in the first place.

Jason stiffly entered his father’s study, taking care to close the door softly behind him. Zeus _hated_ when the door was slammed. He said that only barbarians did vulgar things like that.

“Ah, Jason. Come take a seat, please,” his dad said, taking off his reading glasses and rubbing at his eyes. As a kid, Jason always thought has his father was invincible. He was strong, and smart, and brave, and he always tried to look out for the underdogs even when no one else would. Jason supposed these things were still true, but it was clear to him now that his dad was not as immortal as he once thought he was. Zeus Grace looked _tired._

“You wanted to see me?” Jason asked, wringing his hands in his lap.

Zeus smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corner. “Yes, but first—how was the dance?”

Oh, right. The dance. Jason thought that a trip to Tartarus would’ve probably been a better time, but he decided to leave that out.

“It was fun. We all had a good time.”

“I’m very glad to hear that. Though I do wish I could’ve met that Percy friend of yours—he seems like an interesting young man.”

At the sound of Percy’s name, Jason had to try very hard not to flinch. He was morbidly embarrassed about what he said at the dance—it was completely inappropriate, callous, and rude. Still, it wasn’t exactly a lie. Ever since Percy had come into his life, there had been nothing but confusion, anger, and _heartbreak._ He couldn’t help but wonder if their friendship was worth all the aggravation.

“I don’t want to talk about Percy right now,” Jason muttered. “Can we just go over whatever it was you needed to talk to me about so I can go to bed?”

“Er-- right,” Zeus said awkwardly, as if he had something else to say but changed his mind. “Son, as I’m sure you are aware of, I will be stepping away from my position in Olympian Broadcasting in just five years from now. And, as you can expect, I will soon need to start preparations for passing down my responsibilities to an heir.”

“Which is Thalia,” Jason said. “She runs the business, and I provide her the smoothies.” That had always been the plan—as the first born, Thalia had automatic rights to the company, which Jason was completely on board with. He wanted the chance to go to college and study something that actually interested him, like Classics or Astrophysics, and he definitely did _not_ want to spend the rest of his life in stuffy meetings with old, decrepit-looking white men, talking about things like sales or profits or market insights. 

“Well, there’s no easy way to say this. Jason, Thalia’s band has been offered a recording contract with a company in London, which means that she will be leaving us in about a month-and-a-half. Since you are next in line for inheritance, the expectation is that you will be the one to take over the company when you come of age.”

“ _Me?”_ Jason wanted to scream. “No. I don’t want this. Can’t you—can’t you just pass it on to one of the cousins, or sell it, or—”

“Jason, be reasonable about this,” Zeus said. If he hadn’t known better, Jason would have thought that there was a flicker sympathy in his stormy-grey eyes. “I understand that this is not what you anticipated. But we have a reputation to uphold—Olympian Broadcasting is a family company, always has been, always will be. It’s bad enough that one of my children has already forsaken me, but it would be unimaginable to the press if the other did, as well. Frankly, son, we would be destroyed, and I refuse to let that happen.”

“But Father, this isn’t fair _.”_ Jason was only 13. He still liked things like _Mythomagic,_ for Christ’s sake. And now he was supposed to think about running an entire, multi-billion dollar company in just a few years?

“You’ll come to learn that that life is never fair, Jason. We all have to make sacrifices for the good of others.”

“Dad, if you would just _listen to me—”_

“ _Enough._ Enough, Jason,” Zeus’s tone took on a steel edge. “You will not argue with me. This isn’t up for debate.”

“Fine. Is that all you wanted to say? Can I leave now?” Jason just wanted to curl up in his bed and cry in private. That’s all he wanted to do.

“I just have one other thing for you. Now that you are my heir, appearances will be everything. I took the liberty of vetting Miss Ramirez-Arellano, and I believe that she will be an excellent choice for you as you move into this next stage of life.”

“What?”

“Of course, there will be an NDA, as well as some other preliminary forms,” Zeus stated, as if it made the situation any more clearer. “Beryl has scheduled your first public outing to be next Saturday, so please confirm with Reyna that she will be able to meet you at the Four Seasons at 3:00. We can also send Paolo if that will make things easier.”

“I don’t think I understand,” Jason said, even though the growing, vicious knot in his heart said otherwise.

“The public adores a young romance, so that's what we’re gonna give them. For all intents and purposes, you are now officially dating Reyna Ramirez-Arellano.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops :) did yall expect that? because i surely didnt LMFAO
> 
> be prepared for the next update to have a bit of a time skip and, of course, a whole lot of angst. as always, thanks for reading. i love yall endlessly.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Percy finally figures things out.

~Four Years Later~

Buying her boyfriend a birthday present was near the top of the list of the hardest things that Annabeth ever had to do.

They had been together nearly four years at this point, so it really was a bit embarrassing that she had to go and ask Nico what Percy would theoretically want in a gift. Nico, of course, was completely unhelpful— _Annabeth, that idiot would be happy with a roll of freakin’ toilet paper if it meant that it came from you_ , _now would you kindly please move because you’re blocking the computer screen and I’m trying to watch Game of Thrones instead of doing my chemistry assignment._ Ugh, boys. They were so useless for these kinds of things.

Not that Nico didn’t have a point. Annabeth may have been putting too much pressure on herself to find Percy a perfect present. But that was what she always did, right? After all, overthinking and perfectionism was kind of her brand. She thought about buying him a few new vinyls for his record player, a nice pair of swim trunks… but nothing seemed good enough for the wavy-haired, freckled disaster that was Percy Jackson.

At least the party was already taken care of. Piper had taken the lead on arranging the whole thing, which Annabeth was incredibly grateful for. It was going to be at the Ventura Aquatic Recreation Center—somehow, Piper had managed to sweet-talk the owners into giving them the place for a few hours, virtually for _free._ Will couldn’t even do that, and he worked there, for goodness sake! Annabeth didn’t know how she was able to pull these kinds of things off, but she thought better than to question it.

The plan was that Annabeth would take Percy to lunch in the afternoon, pretending like she had to pick up her little brother from his swim lessons at around 4:00. Then, when they walked in, nearly all of the Ventura High School sophomore class would be there to surprise Percy for his sweet sixteen—according to the Facebook event page, at least. Even if some people flaked, Annabeth didn’t doubt that they would draw a large crowd. Percy was popular like that.

“Will, where are we at on the cupcakes?” Annabeth asked, unfolding a large plastic table that was soon to be designated for desserts.

Will snorted. “You should ask Mr. Grumpy over there in the corner—he wouldn’t let me touch them because he thought I would _burn_ them.”

“Oi!” Nico yelled. He jogged over and wrapped his arms around the pale, blonde boy’s waist. “I didn’t _think_ you would burn them, I _knew_ you would burn them. There’s a difference, love.”

Will and Nico had finally started dating this fall, after literally _months_ of Annabeth and Percy dealing with their pining and annoying, puppy-dog glances. They all met in English class freshman year, and the four plus Piper (and Callie, when she wasn’t busy being disgustingly cute with Leo Valdez) had basically been inseparable ever since.

“Just be glad you’re cute.”

“Shut up. I’m scary. Don’t ruin my brand.”

“ _Nooo_ , you’re so cute, I love how—”

“Ahem,” Annabeth said, her cheeks heating up. “Sorry to interrupt your little love fest, but if you haven’t noticed, we actually have a job to do. I’m supposed to go pick up Percy in an hour.”

“Aw, Nico! She called it a love fest! Isn’t that the most adorable thing you’ve ever—”

“ _Will!”_

“Okay, okay!” Will laughed, planting a kiss on Nico’s olive-toned cheek. “It seems as if our mistress has laid down the hammer. I’m going to go check in with Grover to see if he needs help with the balloons.”

After Will left, Nico looked at Annabeth with humorous eyes. “Who pissed in your cornflakes this morning?”

“No one,” Annabeth hissed. “And for your information, I don’t eat cornflakes. I eat Rice Krispies.”

“Then what’s got you so worked up? Is this about the present thing?” Annabeth frowned. Was she really that much of an open book?

“Well, I was going to stop at the mall before I went to pick him up,” Annabeth muttered, “but now I don’t think I have enough time.”

“Annabeth. Percy really won’t care that you didn’t get him anything. You _know_ that.”

She sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s just—I want to make sure his day is as special as him, y’know?”

“And it will be. You and Piper have been working on this surprise for _weeks._ He’s going to love it.”

“But what if he _doesn’t?_ ” She said in a small voice. “I’m so scared that… I’ll let him down somehow. That it won’t be enough.”

Nico grabbed her hands. “You are always enough,” Nico said fiercely. “Never forget that.”

“Thanks, Neeks,” Annabeth said with a watery smile. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Now _please,_ go check on the cupcakes. And don’t forget to dye the frosting blue!”

For lunch, Annabeth took Percy to _Medusa’s Bagels and Crepes_ , the same restaurant that they went to on their first date all the way back in sixth grade. Annabeth remembered that day fondly. Percy was so nervous that he spilled Tabasco sauce all over his jeans, earning him the nickname “Hot Pants” for at least a full two years. The thought of that memory made her feel all warm inside, like she had just drank some of her dad’s delicious, homemade hot chocolate.

“Hey, Annabeth,” Percy said at the end of their meal, two plastic knives hanging out of his mouth. “I’m a walrus!”

Annabeth rolled your eyes. Sometimes her boyfriend could be such a dork.

Suddenly, Annabeth’s phone lit up—it was a text from Piper, which simply read: _operation B-day is a go._ Annabeth gulped, straightening up in what she hoped was a casual manner.

“Oh,” Annabeth said with fake surprise. “My mom just texted. Do you mind if we swing by the Rec Center to pick up Matthew from swim real quick?”

“Not at all,” Percy said cheerily. The two walked hand-in-hand to Annabeth’s busted-up Jeep, which Percy lovingly referred to as _Donna the BPS (Big Pile of Shit)._ He wasn’t wrong—it was definitely one of the scariest, most unsafe cars in Ventura County. But it was hers, and she loved it.

The drive to the Rec Center didn’t take long at all. However, before she could park, she received another text from Piper, this one much more frantic than the last. _SOS. CUPCAKE EMERGENCY. PLAN H._

Fuck! Plan H? This really must have been a _serious_ baking disaster. Will must’ve touched the oven. 

“Percy!” Annabeth said quickly. “I just remembered—Matthew has to stay late today to, er… work on his backstroke? Yeah, that. Anyways, are you okay with waiting for a bit?”

Which is how they ended up at PetSmart, looking at the hamsters and other furry rodents. Percy, for his part, was thoroughly entertained— Annabeth had to talk him out of buying a long-haired, speckled guinea pig several times, much to his disappointment and chagrin. After about an hour, Annabeth finally received the _all-clear_ text from Piper; they were back in business.

“Matthew’s done!” She announced, all but dragging her boyfriend to the front of the store. “Let’s head out.”

“Goodbye, Mr. Wiggles,” Percy called miserably. “I’ll be back for you some day!”

The final step was coming up with an excuse to get Percy inside the building. Annabeth sort of banked on him needing to pee or something, especially after all the lemonades he consumed at lunch, but Percy was content to wait in the car while Annabeth went to go “get her brother”.

“I think Will’s on lifeguard duty today,” Annabeth said slowly. “You should come say hi.”

“But I’m so comfortable, Annie,” Percy moaned languidly, stretching out his long legs in front of him. “Can’t you just tell him hey for me?”

“Umm.. no.” _Stop being such a lazy-bones and get up for your surprise party, Mr. Jackson._

Percy frowned. “Fine. But we’re taking a nice, long nap when we get back to your house.”

“You know what, deal.”

This was it. The moment of truth. Annabeth led her boyfriend through the parking lot, praying that everything would go the way it was supposed to. It had been _really_ hard for her to give up this much control over the event, and the last thing she wanted was for the surprise to be ruined because of a silly, unavoidable mistake.

Annabeth pushed open the door, holding her breath. At first, all she could see was darkness, and for a horrible moment she thought that no one showed up.

“Hey, Annie? Why is it so—”

“SURPRISE!” All of a sudden, the room was flooded with light. To Annabeth’s relief, it seemed like everyone in their grade was there, from Katie Gardner to the Stoll Brothers. Even Clovis had managed to stay awake enough to show up, a truly impressive feat.

“Happy birthday, Percy!” Piper yelled, sweeping the boy into a massive hug. Percy looked stunned.

“Did you—was this…” Percy said, casting wide eyes at Annabeth. Shyly, she nodded, and Percy flashed her a radiant grin. “Thank you.” Then, he was swept away by the crowd, leaving Annabeth and Piper to revel in their success.

“Thank _God_ that’s over with,” Piper moaned, resting her head in the crook of Annabeth’s shoulder. “Keeping that secret was miserable. I nearly slipped up on like, four separate occasions.”

“Oh, I know. I’m just glad everything worked out the way it was supposed to.” Annabeth took a moment to study Piper’s face. She looked as beautiful as always, with her natural makeup and hair pulled back into two intricate braids. Annabeth was tempted to rest a hand on her cheek, just to see if her skin was as soft as it looked.

“You, know,” Piper started, looking into Annabeth’s eyes with an expression she couldn’t recognize. “We make a good team, Chase.”

“We really do, McLean. We really do.”

Annabeth found Percy nearly forty minutes later. He was standing by the back of the room, engaged in an intense-looking conversation with someone that appeared to be Will. She bounded over, throwing her arm around Percy’s thin, bony frame.   
  
“The cupcakes were a success, Will,” she declared, her vision impaired by Percy’s thick, dark mop of hair. “Tell Nico that he did an amazing—” _Oh_ , she thought as she moved her face to glance over Percy’s shoulder. _That wasn’t Will_. That was… _Oh. No fucking way. You’ve got to be kidding me._

“Hey, Annabeth,” Jason Grace said, giving a sheepish nod in her direction. He looked much older than he did two years ago; his hair was cropped shorter, and he looked tired, as if he got no more than five hours of sleep a night.

“Hey, Jason. It’s good to see you.”

After the night at the dance, things were never the same between him and Percy. Annabeth never really found out what happened with the two of them, and honestly, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to know. They avoided each other in the halls, and if they were ever forced to have a conversation for a class activity, they kept things short and polite. Jason ended up going to a private high school, so neither Annabeth nor Percy had seen him for some time.

“Reyna told me that I should come, actually,” he said. “I hope that was okay.”

Annabeth forced a smile. “Of course! How is Reyna, anyways?”

“She’s good. She really misses California, though.”

Reyna was at an all-girls boarding school in Texas. Annabeth vaguely remembered that her dad was in the military and had been stationed in Fort Hood last summer.

“Are you guys…”

“Yeah,” Jason confirmed. “Trying to make it work long distance. It’s… well.”

Annabeth wasn’t really surprised by that answer. Jason and Reyna had always had a tumultuous relationship.

“I’m glad you came, Jason,” Percy said quietly. “It’s been a long time.”

Jason flashed him a crooked smile. “Me too. I miss you, Percy. And Annabeth, of course,” he added quickly.

“I miss you, too.”

The two boys just sat there for a second, smiling at each other with dopey grins. Annabeth cleared her throat.

“Ah,” Jason said, blushing. “I’m gonna go, um, find Leo and Callie. I think they’re over by the drinks. I’ll catch you guys later.” Then, he left, swallowed by a sea of sweaty teenage bodies.

Annabeth grabbed Percy’s hand. “You okay?”

“What? Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?” Percy lied. Annabeth wasn’t stupid—she knew that Percy was still deeply disappointed about losing Jason and his friendship. For the most part, she tried to be as understanding as she could. But… well, it wasn’t like they had been friends for a super long time, and even though Annabeth would never tell Percy this, it frustrated her sometimes that he still cared so much about a person that was more of a memory than anything else.

Then, without warning, she had a realization. Several realizations, in fact. She couldn’t believe that it had taken her this long to figure out.

“Hey,” she said. “I want to show you something.”

Picking the lock to the roof wasn’t difficult. The two of them stood safely away from the ledge, watching as the sun turned the sky into a beautiful, dusty purple shade.

“This sunset is incredible,” Percy said breathlessly, his nose turning red from the cool January air.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, just two kids taking in the view. Then, Annabeth spoke, turning her gaze towards Percy’s breathtaking, multi-colored eyes. The same eyes that had caught her attention in the sixth grade, when she was just a little girl with everything to lose.

“I love you, you know.” Percy looked at her with a combination of surprise and sadness. In their four years of dating, this was the first time those words had been said out loud. And really, that should’ve been the first clue.

“You wanna know something?” She continued. “I was so worried this week over finding you a birthday present. I tried to think of everything I possibly could, but none of my ideas seemed right.”

“Annabeth—”

“And then Nico said something today that got me thinking. All my life, I have been worried about being enough. For you, for my dad… for _everyone_. So I’ve always tried to be the most perfect version of myself. Straight As, sports, extracurriculars. This relationship, even. But I can’t live like this anymore—and I think you’ve helped me realize that.”

“I don’t follow,” Percy said, his voice shaking.

“Percy, I love you. I love you so much that it hurts. But I’m not _in love_ with you, and you aren’t in love with me either. Have we ever been anything more? Let’s be honest with ourselves, for once in our lives.”

For a long time, Percy didn’t say anything. Annabeth thought about all her favorite memories with Percy. Pancakes and bacon on a cold Sunday morning, playing with Matthew at the park… these were things that boyfriends and girlfriends did, for sure, but these were also things that _friends_ did. And that’s what they were, really. _Friends._

Finally, Percy met Annabeth’s gaze, tears in his eyes. At first, Annabeth was horrified that she completely misread the situation. But then, he spoke, confirming everything that Annabeth had known deep down since the beginning.

“You’re right. God, you’re right. I can’t believe it took me this long to realize….”

“That we’re gay?” Annabeth finished for him.

“That we’re gay,” Percy said. “And that I’m still desperately in love with Jason fucking Grace.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this has been one of my favorite chapters to write so far. annabeth and percy = platonic soulmates for life <3
> 
> i know it feels like things are wrapping up, but trust me-- we still have a whole lot of ground to cover. stormy skies to come, my friends. 
> 
> as always, thank you for reading. drop a kudos or a comment if you feel so inclined :)


	7. Chapter 7

Out of all the things that could’ve been on Jason’s doorstep at 3:00 in the morning, the last thing he expected to see was an angry-looking Percy Jackson, thoroughly drenched by the thunderstorm outside that was whipping through the California coast.

“Hey,” Jason said, stunned, because that was the only thing his sleep-deprived brain could think of in the moment.

“Hi.”

“How did you—?”

“I climbed the gate. Now, are you going to invite me in or what?”

Jason invited him in. Percy’s sneakers left dirt tracks on the pristine, marble floors, and Jason made a mental note to clean that up before he went to bed that night. He seriously doubted his parents would approve of such a late-night visit.

“So, er, tea?”

Percy smiled wryly. “Earl Gray, please.”

While the teapot was heating up, Jason allowed himself a moment to study his dark-haired former friend. Their brief exchange at Percy’s surprise party did not give him a full opportunity to recognize just how much the younger boy had grown, both figuratively and literally. He was taller now, and less scrawny—the years of competitive swimming had given him a lean, muscular frame. But something in Percy’s gaze told Jason that he was no longer the shy, silly boy that he knew in the sixth grade. He was more mature now, more sure of himself. Unconsciously, Jason wondered if Percy knew how handsome he really was.

“I know what you’re going to ask, so just ask it,” Percy said, breaking Jason out of his reverie. _Oh, right. Boy who I haven’t spoken to in two years shows up at my house unannounced and wants to drink tea with me._ Jason cleared his throat, running a palm over his cropped, blonde hair.

“Well, the first question I have is why you’re wearing _that_.” Percy looked down at his outfit and laughed. He was dressed in an absolutely massive T-shirt that read _The Most Important People in My Life Call Me Daddy_ , as well as some equally huge gym shorts and busted-looking Chaco sandals.

“It’s not—It’s really not what it looks like, I swear. I was at Annabeth’s and I kind of spilled barbecue sauce all over me, so she let me wear some of her dad’s old stuff,” Percy explained with a grin. If Jason hadn’t felt so sick by the mention of Annabeth, he would have laughed along with him.

“How is Annabeth?” Jason asked, for the sake of politeness. He wiped up some spilled water on the counter with what he hoped was an appropriate measure of detachment.

“She’s really great, actually. We—um, we broke up this afternoon,” Percy said. He must have noticed Jason’s shocked expression, because he quickly added, “it was on good terms though. We’re still really close, obviously.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I’m happy for you,” Jason said. “Not that, you know, you broke up, but that there’s no hard feelings about it.” That was definitely a lie—Jason _was_ happy that the two broke up, but he would never say that out loud.

“That’s kind of why I’m here actually,” Percy said, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. “I need to… get something off my chest. Something that I should’ve realized and told you about a lot sooner.”

Jason frowned. He wasn’t sure where Percy was going with this, and he was a bit nervous to find out.

“Jason, I’m gay,” Percy said frankly, and Jason saw stars.

“You’re— _what?_ ”

“Homosexual, queer, anything you want to call it, really.” Jason could tell that Percy was trying to act nonchalant about the whole thing, even though anyone with eyes could tell you he was completely and utterly _terrified._ There was sweat building up on Percy’s brow, and he was rubbing at his wrist so much that he was beginning to leave a red mark.

Jason didn’t know how to respond. On one hand, Jason was shocked, because Percy never mentioned liking boys when they were friends. On the other hand, Jason was floored, because… well, he still needed to figure that one out.

“Thank you for telling me this,” Jason said sincerely, trying to put as much warmth into his tone as possible. “And obviously I support you, if that was something you were worried about. But… I guess I’m just a little confused why you came to me for all of this. Does Annabeth know?”

There was a twinkle in Percy’s eye that Jason couldn’t quite place. “Oh, she definitely knows. She was the one that encouraged me to come here tonight.”

“Percy, no offense, but I’m kind of lost.”

“Oh, you _idiot_ ,” Percy said thickly, and before Jason could react to that, he sprang across the counter and mashed their lips together in a wet, passionate embrace. At first, Jason leaned into it, wrapping his arms around Percy’s neck as if they were two puzzle pieces that were finally coming together with a satisfying _click._ However, that lasted about 3.47 seconds, until Jason realized exactly _what he was doing_ and more importantly, _who he was doing it with._

“TEA!” Jason all but yelled, pulling away with a startling amount of vigor. “We were making… tea.” _Percy Jackson just kissed me. PERCY JACKSON just kissed me. Percy Jackson just kissed ME. Ohmygodohmygodohmygod—_

He figured it out. Everything made sense, and everything was terrible.

Percy smirked. “The tea can wait, don’t you think?” Then, he leaned in again, and Jason’s brain turned to absolute mush. It took nearly all of his willpower to put his hands on Percy’s shoulder and stop him from kissing him again, even though every bone in Jason’s body vibrated with the urge to…

“Percy,” Jason said, his voice cracking on the second syllable. “We can’t do this.”

“Why not?” Percy pouted. “Jason, don’t tell me you don’t want this.”

_I do want this. I want this so badly it hurts. And that’s why I have to let you go._

“Reyna,” Jason said quietly. Percy’s face fell, his eyebrows furrowing together in confusion.

“What about Reyna? She’s not in California anymore. Why are you even still with her?”

Jason frowned. “It’s not that simple, Percy, I made a promise to—”

“Who?” Percy said, his eyes flashing with anger. “Your dad? Because that’s bullshit, Jason, and you know it. It’s not his right to tell you who you can and cannot love.”

For some reason, that comment really pissed Jason off. It wasn’t fair that Percy could just waltz in here and pretend like he knew everything he needed to know about Jason’s personal life—they hadn’t even really spoken for _four years_ , for Christ’s sake.

“You’re right,” Jason said. “But neither can _you_ , Percy. Reyna and I… we’ve have been through a lot together. She understands me. And I can’t just give that up because some boy from my past decided to come to my house and kiss me without my consent.”

Percy looked panicked. “Holy shit, no, fuck, Jason, that wasn’t my—”

“Intention?” Jason asked. “I know it wasn’t. But this isn’t a movie, Percy. This is _real life_. It doesn’t matter what you or I feel, okay? I have responsibilities to uphold.”

“Jason,” Percy said, before proceeding to say the stupidest thing he’s probably ever said in his life. “I love you.”

Jason laughed. “Be serious, Percy. No you don’t.”

“I _do_ , Jason. I’m being completely serious. I’m in love with you.” Jason wasn’t laughing anymore.

“Percy,” Jason said, his voice shaking. “You know that’s not true. We barely know each other. You might be in love with the _idea_ of me, but you’re not in love with me. Please don’t tell me things you don’t really mean.”

“I know how I _feel_ , Jason,” Percy said incredulously. “I broke up with my girlfriend for you! Doesn’t that mean anything?”

With horror, Jason realized that he was slurring a little bit. Because of fucking course he was.

“You’re _drunk,”_ Jason hissed, moving away from Percy like he just announced he had the plague. “Are you kidding me?”

“Does it really matter?” Percy said, and Jason’s face burned a deep, violent red.

“Get out of my house, Jackson. Now.”

“But Jason—”

Tears welled in Jason’s eyes. “I mean it, Percy, leave.”

“I’m _sorry—”_

Jason sobbed. “GO AWAY!” he nearly screamed, crumpling to the floor. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think— _this was the beginning of a panic attack._ The realization made him cry even harder. He had been doing _so_ good, especially over the past few months. His therapist was going to kill him.

Pale, freckled arms wrapped themselves around Jason’s shoulders; Percy smelled like oranges and the sea. Jason leaned his head against his shoulder, trembling and gasping. Every once in a while, Percy would rake his long fingers through Jason’s hair, which sent sparks shivering down his spine. Eventually, Jason’s breath steadied enough for him to actually get some air in, and he groaned into Percy’s neck, a strange combination of shame and relief.

They stayed like that for a while, neither one daring to say anything that would break the spell between them. Finally, Percy relaxed his grip around Jason, using his free hand to wipe away Jason’s tears that remained stuck on his dimpled chin.

“I’m sorry for getting drunk. It was a shitty thing to do.”

“Yeah,” Jason said, “it was.”

“And I’m sorry for kissing you without your consent. I should’ve asked before just assuming you’d want that.”

“Yeah,” Jason said, “you should’ve.”

“ _And_ I’m sorry for—”

“Percy,” Jason said. “Please shut up.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Just as long as you don’t apologize for anything else tonight.”

“So… can I still take you up on that tea?”

The fucking tea. Jason leaned forward, untangling his limbs from the other boy. He took a second to wipe his face with a Kleenex, and then he poured the boiling water into two identical mugs. He added an Early Gray tea bag to Percy’s mug and handed it over.

“Do you have any sugar?” God, he was insufferable. If Jason hadn’t felt so drained, he would have elbowed him in the stomach.

“Percy,” Jason said. “What kind of psychopath wouldn’t have sugar?”

“I don’t know!” Percy protested. “It was a valid question.”

Jason laughed, maybe a bit hysterically, and all of a sudden he was 13-years-old again, clowning around with Percy as they created an unnecessarily intricate amusement park on _Rollercoaster Tycoon._ The thought of that made his heart feel warm.

“Validly _stupid._ ”

“That doesn’t even make any sense.”

“You don’t make any sense.”

“Jason!”

“Percy!”

“Oh my god,” Percy said as he rolled his eyes. “You’re worse than Annabeth.”

“I’m nothing like Annabeth,” Jason spat, and there it was, the tension, as sharp as a knife.

Percy was taken aback. “You’re right,” he murmured, “you aren’t like Annabeth at all.”

Jason sighed. “Listen, Percy… I don’t want to fight with you.”

“We’re not fighting,” Percy said, taking a sip of his tea and wincing when the hot water touched his mouth.

“Right,” Jason retorted. “And you didn’t just burn yourself. Let the tea steep, dude.”

Percy glared at him, and then because he was nothing if not stubborn, he took another sip. “Maybe I like it this way.”

“Maybe you… you know what, no. We’re not avoiding the situation.” Strangely, Jason felt calmer than he had felt pretty much all night. “We’re going to communicate, because that’s what people do. Actually talk to each other.”

“Right,” Percy said with a cough. “Well. I might be a little tipsy, but I still meant what I said. I do love you, Jason, even if you don’t want to believe it.”

There were multiple types of sadness, Jason was beginning to realize. Jason had felt sadness when he dropped his ice cream at Coney Island as a chunky, gapped-tooth seven-year-old. He had felt sadness when he attended the funeral of his long-time nanny Mrs. Phanes, who used to read him stories about Jason and the Argonauts and all of their otherworldly adventures like they written just for him. He felt sadness when his mom drank, when his dad missed his birthdays for work trips, when Thalia didn’t call… it seemed like no matter what happened in Jason’s life, sadness was sure to follow, rearing its monstrous head in every way, shape, and form.

But this sadness, the one he was experiencing right now, was different than any other sadness he had felt before. Because Percy Jackson loved him, and he loved Percy Jackson, and he was pretty sure he was bisexual, and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.

“I know,” Jason said, and Percy understood. He put his mug down and brought Jason into a fierce hug.

“You’re not allowed to not be in my life anymore.”

“Same for you.”

“I _mean it,_ Grace. No funny business. We’re friends now, alright?”

Friends, Jason mused. What an uncomplicated label.

“Yeah, Jackson. We’re friends. Now, if you’ll please leave my house so I can actually get some sleep, that would be greatly appreciated.”

Jason had already shut the door when Percy realized he didn’t know how he was going to get home. His phone was dead, he spent all of his money on the Uber ride over here, and his apartment was over four miles away. He thought about knocking on Jason’s door again, but something in his mind told him not to— they actually ended things in a good place for once, and the last thing Percy wanted to do was ruin all that by asking him for a _ride home._

So, walking it was. Four miles wasn’t that long, was it? Percy’s teeth chattered as he started to make his way down the street.

Turns out, it was that long. It had been about 45 minutes before Percy realized that he had no idea where he was or how close he was to his building. _Freakin’ Ventura,_ man. He had lived in this city for nearly four years now, and it still felt just as strange to him as it was when he was a little kid.

Percy was all but ready to sleep on a park bench and call it a night when a fancy black car pulled up by him, a familiar shock of blonde hair peeking out of the driver’s seat window.

“Luke!” Percy said excitedly. Luke flashed him a wild grin, parking his car in the middle of the street like he owned it.

“Thought you looked familiar. Looking for a ride, kiddo?” Luke said, and Percy wanted to cry with gratitude. He hopped into the passenger seat, and then they were off, blasting down the road with a type of speed reserved for late nights and empty highways.

“So what were you doing walking around at 4:00 in the morning?” Luke asked. “I’m surprised no one tried to kidnap you. No offense.”

“None taken,” Percy said cheerfully. “I was at— at a friend’s house. Lost track of time. What’s your excuse?”

“Three words: Starbucks night shift.” That made sense. Luke looked a bit grimy, a spot of what looked to be mocha Frappuccino on his cheek. Percy had to fight the itch to wipe it off for him.

“Well, I’m glad I ran into you,” Percy said, blushing a little. Luke laughed, taking his eyes off the road to meet Percy’s gaze.

“Me too, kid.”

If Percy didn’t sleep that night, well, that would just be his little secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im s o r r y


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